Locked Behind A Wall
by Yukiaoi-chan
Summary: Natalie Reinhold has a dark, painful past, and it has scared her beyond belief. She won't, however, allow this to interfere with her life at the DWMA, and with her best friend Isis Walker. But things soon start to get out of hand when a new student- the son of the academy's founder, Lord Death- shows up. ❮Kid love story❯ ❮Death the Kid x O.C.❯ ❮DTK x O.C.❯ ❮Rated T for languge❯
1. Prologue

Prologue

The army of weapons and meisters from the Death Weapon Meister Academy, with Dr. Frankenstein at the head, moved quickly through the alleys. They could sense they were close, and it looked like the Kishin egg was hiding in the five-story mansion he seemed to spend a lot of time at; more than half the time, they found him there.

They hid behind a nearby building, all the people waiting for Stein's signal. After about thirty seconds of watching and waiting he silently gave the order, and the meisters dove out of their hiding spot and began dashing toward the fancy-looking structure where they could sense the Kishin dwelling. They banged the doors open, and as the remaining few staff members who hadn't had their souls eaten hanging nearby turned their heads to see what all the noise was about, their faces lit up in delight. They were overjoyed every time the agents from the DWMA showed up, for they couldn't stand the Kishin egg and lived in fear that any day now they, too, would be gobbled up.

Stein lead the way up the many flights of stairs to the top floor, where he could sense the Kishin egg and three other human souls he remembered encountering before. When they had finally reached the end of the staircases, Stein tried the handle on the huge, golden double doors that awaited them, but when they wouldn't budge he shot his soul wavelength directly into the lock and opened them simultaneously. The army flew through, landing themselves in a room that looked to be a large parlor with fancy furniture and a crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

The Kishin egg was standing in the center of the room, about seven feet from the DWMA agents, and a trio of young children huddled against the wall directly across from him and to Stein's left. The tallest one (but not by much), a girl, looked slightly older than the other two, but she couldn't have been older than 8. She had her back to the Kishin egg though her head was turned to look at him, her arms wrapped around both of the slightly younger boy and girl.

The oldest girl shifted her eyes slightly to the right, giving nothing away when she took notice of the people standing in the doorway; however, she looked just the slightest bit relieved. "It'll be alright guys," she hissed soothingly, though her voice was hard like she had to talk sternly to keep her voice from shaking. "The academy sent their meisters again. They'll protect us." Stein's heart almost tore in two as he watched the two terrified children nod shakily, their bodies quivering in the girl's gentle hold.

"Stein," Spirit, Stein's partner, piped up. Stein averted his eyes down to the death scythe, and Spirit's red-haired face appeared on it's surface. "We've done this before. Remember who those kids are?" Stein nodded in reply.

"His son and daughters," he clarified grimly. "They've avoided death for two years as their father devoured other souls. How they did it, I have no idea."

Spirit frowned. "When he was human his name was Justin Reinhold, right? Didn't you say that he was living with Juliet Philips but they never married? And that he got her pregnant with six children?" Stein shook his head.

"True, but he first became a Kishin egg when he devoured the souls of his three youngest children right after the latest one was born. He was by far the worst human that ever turned into a Kishin egg. I suppose it's no surprise that he's about to turn into a real Kishin."

"Hey," the girl who spoke before called. "Are you going to help us or not?" Stein sighed. He supposed it was finally time to tell her the secret he'd been keeping for the past year while the DWMA had tried to come up with a better way to fight this powerful Kishin egg. Unfortunately, they were out of time, and they only had one option left.

"Listen," Stein began slowly. "After studying your father for two years, I've determined that he has one of the rarest conditions in existence for Kishins, and that condition is that he can only be destroyed by a weapon that comes from his bloodline." Stein paused, and when the girl just continued to stare at him he continued,

"I didn't want to tell you before, but there's no choice now. To be perfectly blunt, you have to-" he was interrupted by a loud bellow from the Kishin, who dove forward toward the group of kids. The two younger ones screamed and fled towards the academy group, who dashed forward to help. Stein scooped the girl who'd just spoken to him into his arms, but she began kicking and shouting.

"Put me down!" she screamed. "I have to protect my brother and sis- NO!" In one quick move, her father had snatched the kids from the meisters who had been holding them and thrust his hands into their chests. The girl Stein was holding screamed and demanded to be put down, but Stein held on for dear life, although he couldn't tear his eyes away from the horrid sight that was taking place in front of him. As he and the others watched in disbelief, the two helpless children sank to the ground, lying lifelessly next each other, their bodies limp. All that remained in the Kishin egg's hands were the two souls, glowing brightly blue and white.

The girl in Stein's arms screamed even louder. "No! NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Stein winced, but struggled to ignore his ear's screaming protests as the girl continued yelling, watching her father swallow both her siblings' souls in one gulp.

"Stein, we have to destroy him now!" Spirit urged. "Tell the girl what to do!"

"She just watched her own father kill her brother and sister right before her eyes, moron!" Stein shot back furiously. "We can't expect her to-"

"I'll do anything to get rid of him," she interrupted between sobs, her face contorted with shock and sadness. "I already know what you're going to say. I have to kill him myself, don't I?" She whipped her head around to face Stein, who slowly nodded and set her down.

"I understand what you just went through," he murmured, choosing his words carefully. "And I'm horrified that I had to witness it. I also know that you don't have much experience with fighting…" He trailed off uncertainly.

"I can do it," she gulped, wobbling a little. Stein held his arm out and she grasped it to steady herself. Taking a deep, shuddering breath, she transformed her arm into a boomerang and slowly approached her father, who was finishing up his meal. He finally turned around, but by that time she was already upon him.

"You'd kill your own father, Natalie?" his booming voice echoed slightly in the otherwise silent room. His daughter gave no reply, not even a nod. It seemed like the longest three seconds ever; the last time Natalie and her father would ever meet. It was as if she could communicate all the anger and hatred she felt for him her whole life- for what he did to her mother, to her siblings, and to all those humans he killed- in the glare she was sending him right now.

The next movement was a spurt of blood from her father's mouth, a short, choked scream following right behind. As the Kishin fell over, it was clear now that Natalie's action had been so fast that it was impossible to see it happen. Her boomerang arm had turned into a knife which she had plunged straight into his soul. She and all the others could see now just how much power he had. It clouded his eyes with a dark aura that still remained plain as day, even now that he was laying on the ground dead.

Snapping out of the shock, Stein ran to Natalie, who collapsed to her knees before he even reached her. He housed her up and carried her bridal style, amazed by how much she was shaking compared to the last time he held her. Stein barked orders for everyone to start clearing out and for another meister to grab the Kishin egg's soul, which still hovered lazily above the ground.

"Natalie?" Stein whispered softly. The girl's eyes were barely open, and her body seemed to be slowly relaxing as she began to fall asleep. The scientist's lips tugged upward in a smile- not one of his crazy, madness wavelength-influenced smiles, but a genuine one.

"Stein," Sid, one of the other meisters, called. Stein turned to see the brown-skinned, muscular man holding up a small mirror. "I think you should be the one to tell Lord Death what happened here."

"But she managed to destroy the Kishin?" Lord Death exclaimed in his usual bubbly, high-pitched voice.

"She did, sir," the professor confirmed, his face flashing out at Lord Death from the crystal clear surface of the mirror. "And he was her own father. What that girl did after all that happened to her was the most astounding thing I've ever seen, especially at her age and considering that she just saw her father kill her younger brother and sister, Isaac and Taylor, before her very eyes."

"The…the poor thing," Lord Death croaked, a single tear sliding down his skull-shaped mask. "Well, now we owe her one, huh?"

"Um…sir?" Stein asked, unsure where the grim reaper was going with this.

"We can't send her to some dusty old orphanage," Lord Death exploded, as if it should've been obvious. "So let's take her into the academy!"

"Lord Death, she's too young to take classes at the academy!" Stein exclaimed, unable to mask his surprise.

"So what?" The reaper shrugged. "I'll take her in! She'll be my adopted daughter!"

"You already have your hands full with Death the Kid," Stein pointed out. "Do you really want him finding out about her?" Lord Death was silent for a moment.

"I suppose it would be better if he didn't know," he admitted finally.

"Better if I didn't know what, Father?" The reaper yelped, and whirled around to see his son standing in front of him, his hands on his hips.

"K-Kid!" Lord Death exclaimed, trying desperately not to sound like a deer caught in the headlights. "Hey, hey, how you doing? How's the soul collecting coming along?" The black-haired boy showed no sign of a smile.

"Don't even try to change the subject, Dad," he reprimanded. "What were you and… was that Stein's voice?"

"Hey Kid," Stein greeted from the mirror. Kid peered forward and gave him a nod, then turned back to his father.

"What were you and the professor talking about?" he finished. Lord Death squirmed uncomfortably, sensing there was no way out of this. His son could be so stubborn sometimes…

"How about I tell you about it after Stein and I are finished talking?" he offered. "We can talk over tea!" Death the Kid looked like he wanted to say more, but he just nodded.

"Call me in when you're ready," he ordered, then turned and walked out of the room.

"Will he ever stop being so nosy?" Stein complained when Kid was gone. "He can be such a little brat. I think you spoil him too much, Sir."

"He's my son," Lord Death retorted defensively. "And he's going to inherit my position when he grows up, so he has a right to know what's going on."

"If you say so," Stein murmured. "Anyway, I think it would be a good idea to have Natalie stay at my laboratory. She must be special if her father had that extremely rare Kishin syndrome, and I'm sure I could find some interesting things if I dissected her a few times."

"No way!" Lord Death held up his enormous hand, but luckily Stein didn't have to be afraid of the reaper chop since he was only communicating through the mirror. "We don't want to scar her any further than she undoubtably already is. There's a room not far from mini laboratory you use when you're at the academy in the roped off section, and it seems very fitting for little Natalie. Its huge and has a king-sized bed, sofa, TV, three armchairs, bathroom extension, and a little desk. I'm positive she'd be comfortable there, and it's a much better plan than keeping her at Kid's house or your laboratory."

"That does sound like a good idea," Stein agreed. "I'll get the room set up."

"Then it's settled!" Lord Death declared happily. "Bring her to your lab while you're setting up the room- it shouldn't take long."

"Yes Sir," Stein agreed, and with that their conversation ended.

About ten minutes later, Lord Death and Death the Kid were seated on opposite sides of a small table, sipping tea.

"Now tell me what all that was about, Father," Kid demanded, to which Lord Death raised his eyes from his teacup.

"Kid, it's kind of a long story…" Lord Death faltered.

"I've got time," Kid insisted, staring at his father intently. Lord Death sighed, defeated.

"You know how we've been hunting down a particular Kishin egg for about two years now, right?" he queried.

"Yep," Kid agreed. "Did you finally kill it?"

"Well…that's the thing," the grim reaper muttered uncomfortably. "Dr. Stein's theory turned out to be exactly right: that Kishin had a special condition where he was immortal to everyone except weapons that shared his bloodline." He paused momentarily.

"Go on," Kid prompted, his eyes wide with interest.

"Well, we had no idea where his relatives were and we had to kill him immediately or he would've become a real Kishin, so we…had no choice but to have his 7-year-old daughter kill him herself." Lord Death cringed as his son let loose a gasp.

"That's awful!" Kid exploded, his eyes ablaze with fury. "Father, how could you?! And why was she even there in the first place? You should have gotten her away from him!"

"We tried, we tried!" Lord Death exclaimed, holding his hands up defensively. "But he always managed to overpower us. Finally, we decided there was no other way." Kid was silent for a few more seconds.

"Where is she now?" he asked finally. "Can I meet her?"

"No, no, no," Lord Death admonished, shaking a white, block-like finger at his son. "She's a little…fragile right now."

"Because of you!" Kid argued fiercely, causing his father to flinch. "My God, Dad, what the hell were you thinking?"

"We had no choice," Lord Death countered meekly, though he was a little confused. Why was his son acting so interested in this? "And don't worry- she's in safe hands now."

"I want to meet her, Father," Kid insisted suddenly, earning a raised eyebrow from the older grim reaper. Now he was really thrown for a loop.

"Kid, I already told you," he reminded him, "the answer is no." Kid leaned forward across the table, and Lord Death jolted in surprise.

"Please?" he begged, staring unflinchingly at his father.

"She's only a year younger than you," Lord Death pointed out quickly. "I'm sure you'll see her in five years or so while you're observing the missions of the students at the academy like I know you enjoy doing." Suddenly he noticed a slight shift in his son's expression, but he couldn't quite pinpoint it. It was almost like he was masking some emotion that had been showing a moment earlier.

"Good point well made, Father- as usual," Kid replied politely, and Lord Death bounced upright.

"You mean…you aren't mad?" he exclaimed hopefully.

"No, of course not," his son smiled, waving his hand dismissively, and the grim reaper nearly fell out of his chair with glee. He may have held a high position, but he had a big soft spot for his son and hated to upset him. It always put him in a depressed, gloomy mood whenever he and Kid were in an argument.

Suddenly, the boy stood up. "I think I'll head out now," he declared. "Thanks for the tea, Dad."

"Come again, Kid!" Lord Death replied excitedly. "And maybe next time we have a talk like this it won't be on such a grim topic, hm?" Kid chuckled slightly and nodded, then left the room.

The young grim reaper walked the halls with the same purposeful stride as always, but something was off about his expression. It was usually so calm and collected, but at this particular moment his face displayed a sense of angst and discomfort. Death the Kid couldn't get what he'd learned from Lord Death out of his head and he was worried about multiple things, one of them being where his father and Dr. Stein were hiding the girl.

"I will meet her someday," he murmured to himself, the promise hanging in the air for a moment, almost tangible.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Isis!" I called out, and the blonde waterfall whipped around, revealing the face of my best friend.

"Hey, Na-chan," she greeted me, using the same nickname as always, in her usual laid-back tone. However, the way her eyes lit up told me immediately that she was happy to see me.

"Are you looking at the mission chart?" I queried, and she nodded.

"I can't choose which kind of mission to take on," she explained knowingly, and I almost snickered. She liked deciding things on her own, even if she should technically be asking my approval.

I tried to focus on the whole mission thing, but I got distracted by Isis's long, wavy blonde locks falling in my face. Grimacing, I pushed them away and stepped a few paces back, but I couldn't help admiring my friend's excellent fashion taste in the process. She was wearing her usual white, double-breasted overcoat, and she'd picked a pair of dark jeans with a weaved, brown belt to go with it. When she'd turned toward me when I called her name a minute ago, I'd noted that the coat wasn't button and you could see her cranberry-colored tunic underneath. And of course, she was wearing a new necklace today; lucky. I would never be able to switch out _my_ necklace.

Anyway, I'd chosen my outfit carefully as well: I was sporting a grey, cotton blazer with pleated details at the front shoulders; sleeveless, white button-down top; black satin skirt with a cute dot pattern; tall, black, heeled boots; and my usual golden necklace. The piece of jewelry was a long, gold chain with a teapot charm hanging from it, and another chain looped through the hole connecting the teapot to the main chain with a teacup dangling from it. It symbolized a secret that I'd been working to keep for my whole life, but Dr. Stein figured it out long ago.

"Hey you two, we've got big news!" I turned to see my other friends, Soul, Maka, Tsubaki and Black Star, heading towards us. Judging from the voice, I was pretty sure it was Maka who'd spoken.

"Hi guys!" I greeted, and Isis just nodded at them.

"It's not _that_ big," Black Star huffed indignantly. "Some new kid can never be compared to me. I'm way bigger than any new rumors you guys can cook up!"

"New kid?" Isis repeated, raising an eyebrow. "What's so special about that? It's not like new students are rare or anything."

"He's not just any newbie," Soul explained quickly. "From what people are saying, he's Lord Death's son."

"Lord Death has a SON?!" I exclaimed, my voice coming out higher than I had intended.

"No need to get so wound up over something trivial like that, Natalie," Black Star spat. "I'M the real guy that should be making your eyeballs pop out!"

"It's almost time for school to start," Tsubaki piped up. "We should head to cla-"

"NO WAY!" Black Star shouted. "I'M GONNA GO FIND THIS SO-CALLED NEW KID AND TEACH HIM A FEW THINGS!"

"Tsubaki, Maka," Stein called suddenly. "Why don't I see Black Star and Soul up there with you? Are they planning to come to class?"

"They're probably skipping," Maka replied. "Again…"

"Well," Stein sighed. "We're having a new student today, and I don't want him to get a bad impression of the school if he meets them before anyone else." I idly noted that that statement was pretty ironic, given the fact that the new kid was three hours late.

"They're in front of the school," Isis piped up, and Stein's gaze shifted to her. "I can sense their souls there." I grinned. My best friend could sense souls better than anyone, even Maka.

"Oh great," Stein groaned. "Isis, do you think you and Natalie could go fetch them for me?"

"No wa-" Isis began to say, but I cut in,

"Sure! Let's go, ice skater!" That nickname always works when she's irritated with me. I noticed her face broke into a grin as soon as I pulled her out of her chair. Waving goodbye to Maka and Tsubaki, I yanked Isis out the door.

My friend lead me straight to the front of the school, and sure enough Soul was sitting outside.

"Found you!" I called, and Soul's head turned toward us. After a moment, his mouth tugged up into a grin.

"Hey, look who it is," he observed casually, slowly standing up. "Shouldn't you be in class?"

"We were sent to get you and Black Star, idiot," I explained.

"Speaking of, where is he?" Isis queried, scanning the grounds with her eyes.

"He ran off," Soul replied, without too much interest. "But he was talking about how he was going to upstage the new kid, so I think he's somewhere nearby."

"Oh shit," Isis murmured, and Soul and I glanced questioningly at her. "Black Star may be a pain in the neck, but he's actually really strong. Him going up against Lord Death's son might not end well."

"Don't worry," I piped up. "I'm sure there's nothing for him to be getting so worked up about."

"Meaning?" Soul inquired with a raised eyebrow. I let out a loud sigh.

"Well, think about it," I explained, and I began to walk forward. "Lord Death is the head of the academy, and his family is rich, so I'll bet he spoils his son. People like that, who are born with everything handed to them on a silver platter- they never learn how to fend for themselves. He's obviously a weapon or a meister if he's going to the academy, but I'd be willing to bet that he isn't too good at fighting." I became so lost in thought that I forgot I was even moving forward.

"You shouldn't be going so hard on him," Isis chided, though the look on her face told me that she didn't exactly disagree with me.

"I know I haven't even met him yet, but isn't it obvious?" I countered. "Based on what I've heard, he'll be lucky to survive at this school for a whole week. Why did Lord Death have to enroll him into the DWMA in the first place? Oh great, I can see him now: a petulant, self-centered brat that can't even-"

I cut myself off with a shriek as my foot slipped on the top step of the stairway, and with the way I had only just now snapped out of my rant, I had no hope of catching myself. I was bracing myself to hit the cement hard when I slammed straight into a black wall, and at the same time a pair of arms locked around me and steered my fall to a much less awkward angle.

"What was that about a petulant, self-centered brat that can't fend for himself?"

I was vaguely aware of Isis yelling my name in the distance, but I'd momentarily lost all my words. Holy crap, did I just fall headfirst into the so-called new student? And…he'd heard what I said?

"Uh… I…" No matter how hard I searched for something to say, I came up with nothing.

"Cat got your tongue?" I noted right off the bat that his voice didn't sound anything like Lord Death's, but I guess that was a no-brainer; Lord Death always talked so high-pitched and happy like a talking stuffed animal, but this guy's voice sounded a lot lower- though not too low.

"Kid, what are you doing?" Another voice inquired, this one sounding female. I would've tried to turn my head to look, but this guy still had me in a tight grip, barely allowing me to move at all.

"This little lady tripped, and I caught her," he called back. "Give us a minute, Liz." I was in the middle of contemplating whether or not to pull away when I felt a hand gently grasp my chin, and- before I could react- tilt my head upward.

_Holy shit_. He was hot. He had sleek, jet black hair with three white stripes on the left side. His bangs fell slightly in front of his eyes, which were…_golden_. Not yellow, but legit gold. The outer ring of color was actually light, yellow-gold, and the inside was like amber without the orange. His face was pale, but not color-drained- I could tell it was just his natural skin color.

He loomed over me since I was a bit shorter and still in an awkward position from the fall, but he didn't look much older. He held my gaze, his eyes shifting slightly like he was observing me. Suddenly, I noticed his mouth twitch slightly upward; he was holding back a smile!

Finally, he allowed the smirk to spread across his face. "I'd like to know the name of the girl who just fell into my arms," he said slowly, the amusement evident in his voice. I held back a gulp; shit, why was he being so playful when I just insulted him? Was he trying to get back at me?

"You can call her Natalie," I replied, my voice coming out much more breathy than I'd intended. Holy shit, what was I doing?

"Natalie…what?" he prompted, and I resisted the urge to squirm. The bastard was making me so uncomfortable! I never got speechless like this…I was always the one who knew exactly what to say, the "confident, bubbly, and strong." What was he doing to me?

"Rein…h-hold," I finally stammered, trying hard to ignore the embarrassment. "And I assume you're something-Death?" Good. I'd found the will to make comebacks.

"Death the Kid," he confirmed with a small nod, never taking his eyes off me. "But you can call me Kid. It's a pleasure to meet you, Natalie."

Oh god, what the hell? "Yeah…" I murmured, internally slapping myself for such an idiotic response.

_Don't just stand there, idiot!_ My subconscious snarled. _Say something! Shake his hand!_

How was I supposed to do that when he STILL had his arms around me?

"Now, do you want to talk about that offensive comment you made earlier?" I squirmed again. Damn him, he was making me so uncomfortable!

Suddenly, his hold relinquished and he stepped back. _Well, okay then! Much better!_ Now maybe I would be able to get back to my usual smart ass self…wait a minute, why did I immediately feel disappointed when he let me go?

"Well, I'm sorry if I offended you," I began, finding- much to my relief- that my heart slowed it's heavy pounding and my body was relaxing, which meant I had a shot at recovering my sarcastic side. "But Lord Death's son or not, I'm not convinced you're worthy of your reputation."

"My reputation?" he echoed, his amusement fading slightly. I resisted the urge to smile; not so confident now, are you?

"You mean you haven't heard?" I queried, not really trying to sound surprised. "Everyone's talking about you like you're 'amazing' and 'incredibly talented' just because your dad runs the academy." Another thing I noticed after he released his hold on me was that I was able to look him in the eyes- and not like last time, when he was forcing me to.

"Is that so?" he muttered, his amused smirk returning quickly. "Well, I'll just have to prove you wrong and them right, won't I?"

"Hey, what the heck's going on, Natalie?" Isis shouted from somewhere at the top of the steps. A moment later, she appeared above us.

"Ooh, new people!" A high-pitched voice squealed, and I turned around to see two other girls I hadn't noticed before. They were bent over an interesting-looking bug that the taller one had in her hand, but now the shorter one was turning away and bounding up the stairs towards the three of us.

"Patty, if you don't want this bug I'm throwing it over the side," the taller girl called, but Patty paid her no mind and flew past Kid and I up the stone steps. The other girl's voice sounded familiar, and I realized she was the one who'd spoken to Kid earlier; I'd completely forgotten. I guess she and the shorter girl had occupied themselves with the beetle.

Clothing-wise, the two girls were very similar. They wore matching white-and-blue stitched hats, black boots, and red tops that exposed their midriffs with white neck ties, but Patty was wearing pouffy denim shorts while the other one with the beetle wore jeans. Body-wise though, the two were nothing alike except for their matching blue eyes. Patty was short and had short, light blonde hair while the other one was tall with long, dirty blonde hair. Also, Patty had big boobs for such a short girl while the taller one had a bit of a flat chest.

"You're the new kids, huh?" Isis observed, backing up as we hurried after Patty to the top of the stairs. "I'm Isis, and that's my friend Natalie."

"I'm Patty!" Patty exclaimed gleefully, practically bouncing up and down. "That's my older sis, Liz." She pointed at the long-haired girl, who nodded at Isis and I.

"I'm Soul," Soul, who was crouched a few paces away, added. "And you're the new kid we've been hearing so much about?"

"This is my first day," Kid confirmed, and I realized that his voice almost sounded bored without the amusement from earlier. "Are you all here to show me around?"

Isis laughed; that low chuckle which means she finds you amusing but idiotic. "You show up three hours late and you expect us to give you a tour?" she scoffed matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, if you'd been here at seven like you were supposed to you could've looked around yourself," Soul put in.

Suddenly, Kid's eyes narrowed darkly. "What's that? What did you say?" he growled. "Seven?" He paused for a moment, seeming to take this in. "NO! IT CAN'T BE SEVEN!" he suddenly shouted at Soul, lunging forward and pointing an accusing finger at him. "SAY EIGHT, DAMMIT! EIGHT IS BETTER!"

_…What?_

"What?" Soul queried, his face twisted into an _"okay, this is bizarre"_ stare.

"It's physically impossible to cut the number seven in half and make it symmetrical!" Kid explained loudly. "It has to be eight instead! Eight cut in half vertically _or_ horizontally stays perfectly symmetrical!" Immediately, Kid dropped to his hands and knees and lowered his head, but Soul just stared at him with the same disbelieving expression.

"Take it back…" Kid pleaded. "I beg of you! Just say eight…please!"

"Um…" Soul grimaced. "Dude, is there something wrong with you?" I couldn't have put it better myself. This did NOT seem like the playful Kid I talked with a few minutes ago. What was WITH this guy? Were all men this confusing?

"Yes," Liz said in response to Soul's question, Patty laughing her ass off in the background. "He's absolutely insane."

"YAHOO!" I could barely here Black Star's voice from so far away. My eyes scanned over every detail of the DWMA, but I couldn't spot him…until my eyes landed on one of the red spikes attached to the roof. Black Star was shouting something down at us, and though I couldn't tell exactly what he was saying I think it was safe to say he was directing his rant at Kid.

"What is that?" Liz mused, her eyes on Black Star as well. "Some kind of monkey?"

_Right on the mark,_ I thought, letting loose an internal sigh.

"Yeah… It must be a monkey," she murmured. "Look up there, Kid. I think that thing is yelling something at you. Not sure what, though." With a confused groan, Kid turned his head toward the ridiculous-looking Black Star.

All of a sudden, the long, red spike that the wannabe assassin was standing on broke, and Black Star- yelling all the way- fell down to the ground, but luckily he landed on his feet. Kid, however, looked as though all hell was about to break loose. His mouth dropped open and his eyes widened to the size of bowling balls.

"Face it, Kid," Black Star huffed, smirking arrogantly at the newcomer. "I'm much to big a guy for you to handle, and you know it. Do you see how the very ground shakes beneath my feet?" Kid, however, ignored this comment.

"Look what you did," he hissed menacingly. "It's not symmetrical anymore, you jerk!"

"Ug," Liz groaned. "Nice. Now you've really done it."

"Ohhhh…" Patty's "oh" trailed off, having no real purpose.

"Are you ready for this?" Black Star challenged, practically bouncing up and down. "I'm gonna give you a taste of my assassin skills!"

"It's not an assassination if you've been seen, idiot," Soul muttered, exasperated.

"You are a disgusting pig," Kid growled. "Are you really so eager to risk your soul that you'd pick a fight with a grim reaper? Liz, Patty, weapon forms."

"Riiiiiight!" Patty squealed.

"We've done nothing but fight since we got of the streets," Liz groaned. "I could use a break." With that, her and her sister glowed pink and, flying briefly into the air, transformed into twin pistols, which Kid caught- but he was holding them upside down, his pinkies against the triggers.

"Whoa!" I exclaimed, watching in astonishment as Kid held the pistols. I had to admit, it was a cool pose- but he'd better not be all talk, like Black Star.

"If you want to fight, let's do it!" Black Star declared. "Come on, Soul!"

"You're the one who's looking for a fight, Black Star, not me," Soul replied, but he stood up anyway. "I'll play along. But I'm warning you, new guy, if we do this you'll loose."

"Damn straight," Black Star agreed. "We're gonna make one badass team together!"

Suddenly, Isis leaned over to me. "This guy was strong enough to bring down Anubis," she reminded me. "Do you think these guys have a chance against him?"

"Well," I murmured back. "Those two punks may not be perfect, but they did manage to defeat Sid and hold off Doctor Stein's attacks."

"That would never have happened without Maka and Tsubaki," Isis pointed out, and I shrugged in defeat. Maybe they were doomed.

I watched the battle with wonder, and I was already starting to reconsider my theory of Kid. He was doing really well, even though he held the pistols upside down- but that seemed to work for him. He wasn't even letting Black Star and Soul get close to him. At one point I heard Black Star comment on this and Kid complied, leaping into the air and coming down with a hard kick on Black Star's head.

Yes, Kid definitely seemed to be winning. The three of them kept battling when grim reaper finally thrust his pistol into Soul's stomach and pulled the trigger, which sent the scythe flying backwards in a spurt of purple light.

"Ow, that hurt REALLY bad!" Soul moaned loudly, grabbing his middle like he was about to vomit.

I heard Patty's high-pitched chuckle coming from the pistol. "Did you think a pair of normal pistols would be enough for a grim reaper?" Liz questioned. "We aren't like regular guns that shoot bullets. We shoot compressed wavelengths of our meister's soul."

"Oh my, they probably should've picked a different opponent," another voice observed, and I turned to find Stein, Tsubaki, and Maka standing next to Isis and I.

"Hey guys!" Maka greeted. "So you found them? Why didn't you come get us?"

"Oh!" I exclaimed, slapping myself on the head. "I completely forgot! When I tripped and fell, Kid just… and then the battle…"

"Sounds like you had fun," Tsubaki giggled, and I was fully aware that I was blushing. I caught Stein's eye and noticed him smirking at me, so I quickly turned my head away from them- only to receive a curious look from Isis, who was standing on the other side of me.

"Natalie, is he the boy?" Maka asked me. "The kid with the guns, is he the knew kid everyone's been talking about so much?"

"Yep," I replied, feeling awkward that, after my insult from earlier, I was the one having to explain about him. "That's Lord Death's son, Death the Kid."

"It was his own decision to attend the academy," Stein put in. "But he won't be a normal student. His abilities are far greater than anyone else's here." I shot Stein a grateful glance, thankful that he took over for me.

"But why, Black Star…?" I heard Tsubaki murmur quietly, and I couldn't help but wonder what she was talking about.

The fight kept going, and I was vaguely aware of Stein asking Isis to read the souls of Kid and his pistols; were they talking about the sisters' admiration for Kid and something about them calming his neurotic tendencies? Whatever the case, I couldn't take my eyes off him. The way he was fighting was incredible- his movements were so smooth and graceful, and his shooting was astoundingly accurate. And…oh god, how could I even think this? I was actually noticing how _hot_ he looked in the heat of the battle. He looked so slender and agile in all his movements- and he was displaying this clearly without even noticing, due to the fact that he was fully focused on the fight.

_Holy shit, what the hell was I thinking?_ Was this for real? Was I actually focusing on some guy's body during a fight?

Finally, after a lot more fighting and a few very embarrassing moments for Soul and Black Star, Kid suddenly stood still.

"And now it's time," he declared, his voice a low growl, "to see the power of a grim reaper." A ring of dust began swirling around Kid, but otherwise he looked normal- although I knew something was off. This was Kid, and I had already learned a few things about him.

"It looks like their souls have begun to expand," Maka observed suddenly; that confirmed it. He was performing a new trick.

"Looks that way," Isis agreed, staring at them intently.

"Now they're showing off their true strength," Stein added, though he didn't sound quite as grim. I just stood there, my eyes glued to the reaper as Liz and Patty transformed into two large cannon-like objects attached to Kid's arms.

"Execution mode ready," he declared. "Prepare to die." The pistols began reciting a countdown, and when Patty squealed,

"Firing now!" Kid pointed the two guns forward and they shot out two brilliant streaks of yellow light straight toward Soul and Black Star. When they collided with the two boys, an enormous puff of grey smoke billowed upward, soon vanishing to reveal Black Star and Soul lying in a newly created ditch, their hair and clothes smoking.

"Black Star!" Tsubaki exclaimed, running up to him. Meanwhile, Isis and Maka just sighed.

"A sound defeat," Isis observed.

"Man, what were those idiots thinking?" Maka sighed. I, on the other hand, now felt extremely awkward from my insult earlier. I could already see that Stein had been right about him- about his abilities being above the average of any normal student- and now I knew why he seemed so amused by what I said. Damn, what was I supposed to say to him now?

Suddenly, a spout of blood flew from the grim reaper's lips in a strangled cough and he fell over backwards.

"Kid!" I screamed, and I swear my eyeballs were about to pop out of my head. I dashed forward and knelt beside him, unsure what to do. He didn't seem to see me there; his eyes were staring blankly ahead as if in a daze, and his mouth was covered in scarlet red liquid.

"Hm," Liz murmured, and I turned to see her and Patty in human form crouched next to me.

"Ay-ay-ay," Patty sighed.

"Guys, he's hurt!" I exclaimed, ignoring the fact that I was practically yelling in the twin pistols' ears. "Don't just stand there; get the school nurse! Crap, do we even HAVE a school nurse?"

"Calm down, Natalie!" Liz growled, rubbing her ear. "First of all, we're the ones who are new to this school so why the heck are you asking us? And second, Kid's fine. It's just a little cut."

"What got cut?" Stein asked dubiously, his chair wheeling hesitantly forward.

"I think I might have an idea of what it was," Maka piped up, tiptoeing in behind Stein, who made a questioning noise. "Well, I'm pretty sure it happened during Soul's last attack on Kid… I think Kid got a little hair cut off from his bangs. After the explosion happened and things died down, Kid finally noticed that one side of his bangs were shorter than the other."

"The symmetry was off," Isis put in. "So he spit out blood and fell over."

"Oh…" I trailed off, unsure of what to say. I was still a little doubtful of the whole thing.

"Don't worry about him, Natalie," Liz advised, putting a hand on my shoulder. "It's just the way he is." I nodded, but I found it hard to take my eyes off Kid. He was so bizarre… and confusing…

"He's the one bleeding now, so that means we actually won the fight, huh?" Soul mused, his face breaking out into a grin.

"Yeah, right," Black Star agreed. "That means we won, and I, Black Star, have defeated the reaper." As everyone watched in exasperation, Black Star threw back his head dramatically.

"I knew it!" he shouted. "Who's gonna be talking about this guy now?!" He howled with laughter, and I turned my attention back to Kid, who Liz was now carrying on her back as if she were giving him a piggyback ride.

"So this is… normal?" I asked Liz, but it was Patty who responded.

"Yup!" she squealed cheerfully. "I think he's unconscious now!" She began to giggle uncontrollably, and somehow that added anger to the anxiety that had been building up inside me from the thought of what I was going to say to Kid the next time we spoke- or what he would say to me.

"You idiot!" I admonished angrily. "That's nothing to be laughing about!"

"It's just Patty," Liz explained lazily. "She doesn't really take anything seriously."

"I think you might be taking this a little too lightly also, Liz," I pointed out, shooting her a disapproving frown, which she returned with a raised eyebrow.

"Nah," she replied dismissively. "Like I said, this is normal."

"What's up? Whazzup?" A high-pitched voice exclaimed. "WHAAAAZZUUUUP?

"Hi there, Lord Death!" Everyone greeted in unison.

"So, I heard my son had an eventful first day at school," he informed us. "Kid can be difficult sometimes. I hope no one's hurt too badly." Lord Death then turned his gaze on me, and I smiled back at him; and suddenly, an idea came to me.

"Hey Maka," I said, nudging my friend.

"Yeah, Natalie?" She replied, turning to me with a smile.

"Do you think you can see Lord Death's soul? I'm curious to know what it looks like."

"Hey, yeah!" she agreed, her eyes lighting up. "I've been wondering the same thing. I'll take a look." She closed her eyes, and after a moment, opened them up again, revealing the way her pupils shrank when she did this.

"Okay everyone, I'm going to take Kid home now," Lord Death declared. "I think he could use a little rest. Byeeeee!" After a moment, Maka's eyes returned to normal.

"I don't understand," she murmured.

"What?" I prompted. "What did you see?"

"I didn't see it," she answered. "But… Kid's his son and he has a soul, I saw it with my own eyes. Why can't I see Lord Death's?"

"You couldn't see his soul?" I echoed in disbelief. I _knew _the grim reaper had one. I'd known him for too long to not understand that by now.

"Hey Maka, Natalie," Soul called, and I turned to see him and Isis standing side by side. "What are you two doing standing around like that? Let's go back inside."

"Come on, Na-chan," Isis grinned.

"Coming!" I called, just as Maka replied,

"Yeah, okay." But as we followed Stein, Tsubaki, and Black Star, Maka whispered to me,

"l guess it's possible that Lord Death just doesn't have a soul."

"Oh well," I replied with a shrug.


	3. Chapter 2

A/N: I'm glad this story got a few reviews, and I'm even more happy that they were all good! I hope you guys continue to enjoy this, and I'm sorry I forgot to add an author's note when I first uploaded this last night. I was just so excited to post the next chapter!

Okay, have fun reading ^^

…

Chapter 2: Death the Kid's POV

Liz and Patty were yammering something in my ear the whole way to school, but I barely heard them. I couldn't get my mind off yesterday, my "first day" (although I didn't actually go to class, so technically today was my real first day). That was quite a fight with Black Star and Soul, but the REAL issue on my mind was the girl that had me so intrigued. I'd never been particularly interested in any other girls in my whole life- except for Liz and Patty when I first saw them turn into twin pistols, but that was different. I'd been mostly excited about finding two exactly similar weapons to wield simultaneously. This one, however, hit me like blast from my death cannon.

I couldn't figure out what it was... something about her drew me in. I hadn't MEANT to hold onto her so long, but I found I didn't want to let her go. And that snide remark she made caught my interest before I even saw her- mostly because I was already aware I had worked up a reputation before I even came to the academy, being the son of Lord Death, and she seemed to be totally dismissing it. That just made her more enticing, though: the fact that she wasn't interested and it would prove a challenge to win her over.

Nevertheless, I definitely wasn't expecting her to fall into my arms a moment after she insulted me!

"KID!" I jolted out of my thoughts when Patty called my name in that shrill shriek of hers.

"What?" I murmured, still unable to get Natalie off my mind.

"Is it just me or is everyone staring at us?" she queried, gazing around in awe.

"It's because they heard about yesterday's fight," Liz explained to her sister. "I guess Kid's become even more famous by now."

"Yes, it does appear that way, doesn't-" I forgot about my sentence in the next few moments as I suddenly spotted two streaks of golden hair weave in and out of the crowd just in front of us. Was it...

"Hold that thought, Liz," I said quickly, and with that I lurched forward in attempt to catch up with the two girls just in front of me. I could hear Liz call after me and Patty chattering away, but I ignored them. It didn't take long before I was right behind the blondes, and I recognized their hair- yes, they were definitely Natalie and Isis. For a split second, I debated what to do before the perfect idea came to me.

I crept forward a few more steps, and- so fast that neither girl saw it coming- threw my arms around Natalie and yanked her backwards so that she fell into me.

"AH!" she shouted in surprise, and I cringed a little at how close to my ear that was, but I immediately shrugged it off. I could NOT screw this up.

"You're always tumbling into me, aren't you?" I teased her, bending my head over her shoulder so I could see her better. She didn't immediately turn her head my way, but I noticed her cheeks were turning a light shade of pink.

"And you're always catching me," she pointed out, which made me chuckle. "And you made me fall yourself this time."

"Come on," I grinned, switching to her other shoulder as she turned her head the other direction. "You're not really going to blame this on me, are you?"

"Yes I am," she shot back, this time looking me straight in the eye. "Because you're the one clinging to me for dear life." Her mouth slowly twisted upward in a mischievous smirk. Damn, she was good. Well, I'd just have to step it up a notch.

I tightened my hold on her ever so slightly. "I don't believe we had enough time yesterday to clear up our little... disagreement," I reminded her, clinging to the fact that I still had the insult to hold over her head. I felt her tense up a bit, but I wasn't sure if that was a good sign or not.

"No, I don't believe we did," she agreed, a hint of amusement creeping into her voice.

"Well, what do you think?" I inquired, tilting my head questioningly. "Did my performance exceed your expectations?" She looked away, contemplating. Oh shit, I hoped she wouldn't end up embarrassing me. She hadn't so far, but I could tell she had the potential to if she really wanted. And also, even though the battle with Black Star and Soul looked pretty fantastic to the observers- Stein, Maka, Isis, and Tsubaki- I was just playing with them. The whole time, the main challenge on my mind was whether or not I could change Natalie's mind.

"Yes," she said suddenly, yanking me back to the present.

"P-Pardon?" I stuttered, and she giggled a little.

"The answer to your question," she explained, as if she were talking to a kindergardener. "Yes, your performance was... much better than I expected from you." Holy shit. I was expecting her to come up with another smart ass reason of why she didn't have to be impressed with me. Had I actually gotten a compliment?

Her expression subtly took on a look of guilt as if she were going to say more, but apparently she thought better of it. "Something on your mind?" I queried, and to my surprise all she did was shake her head. Oh great, now I'd neglected to realize I still had my arms around her; hopefully, I hadn't made her too uncomfortable.

I released her from my grasp and walked around her until I was standing by her side. She gave me a sideways glance, and I realized I'd probably made her uncomfortable with the whole hugging thing. I opened my mouth to apologize, but no words came out- I had no idea what to say. The exact reason I'd done it was a mystery even to me, but I suppose it had to do with how I was strangely drawn to her. Crap, but I couldn't tell her that! And as such, I shut my mouth again. How embarrassing!

I turned away, again at a loss for words. "Hey... Kid?" she murmured suddenly, and I jerked my head up in surprise.

"Yes?" I replied. She hesitated a moment, then slowly asked,

"Are you... a little OCD?"

_Really? She just HAD to bring up my symmetry issues?_

"More than a little," I agreed with a sigh. "It showed yesterday, huh? I have a weakness for symmetry." Something stirred in her expression, but I couldn't put my finger on it. Her eyes widened just a bit, and a small smile gradually grew across her face.

"Symmetry, huh?" she repeated slowly. "What would you say if I told you my bedroom is asymmetrical?" What? No! NATALIE'S bedroom isn't symmetrical?!

"Unacceptable!" I exclaimed furiously, and she drew back. "That can't be! It's... it's WRONG! I must come over immediately and fix it for you!" Suddenly, I caught the questioning look in her eye. Embarrassed now, I turned my head away. Oh come on, why the hell was my face heating up?

Unexpectedly, Natalie began giggling. "That's so cute," she commented, catching me completely off guard. She thought I was... cute? I caught her eye, and she cut her laughter off with a small gasp. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"What? No!" I exclaimed quickly. "That... that's not it at all!" Okay, maybe it was, but- ack, what was I thinking? I couldn't tell her that!

She visibly relaxed, and I decided I'd said the right thing. "So..." I trailed off, trying to think of something to ask her. It turned out I had a bunch of things I wanted to know about her, but I couldn't find the right thing to say when I searched around in my head.

"Hm?" she murmured, tilting her head questioningly. Crap, I couldn't keep hesitating any longer, or she'd think- wait. I could ask about... _that_.

"I noticed you wore the same necklace yesterday," I observed, subtly pointing towards the golden chain around her neck. "Is it a favorite of yours?" She glanced in my direction, but her eyes looked faraway- as if she were looking straight through me.

Her hand raised up to clutch the teapot charm. "This old thing?" she inquired, shifting her eyes downward. "I always wear it. You'll never see me without it."

"Is there a story behind it?" I prompted, immediately regretting it when she whipped her head up and shot me a warning glance. Okay, I should've taken the hint that she didn't want to talk about it.

"It's just an old necklace," she snapped, her eyes fixed on me in a cold stare. "End of story." Even though her expression clearly showed that she wanted me to just drop it, it was almost as if I could see a hint of something else behind all that toughness. It was like she was... hiding something? No, not exactly... like she was forcing something away from her expression, back into her mind. What was it?

"I'm sorry, I didn't meant to pry," I said finally, gauging her reaction carefully. Slowly, the anger in her face ebbed away, and she glanced at me apologetically.

"No, I'm sorry," she replied meekly. "I shouldn't have snapped at you." Arg, just before she spoke I'd caught a glimpse of it again! Whatever emotion it was that she didn't want me to see, she was doing a very good job of keeping it out of her expression.

"So THAT'S the culprit!" Before Natalie or I could react, Isis had leaped in front of me and was now leering into my face, glaring daggers at me. "I herby accuse you of kidnapping." I couldn't stop myself from smirking. This girl seemed fun to piss off.

I slug one arm around Natalie's shoulders. "Who's kidnapping?" I shot back. "Natalie could've gone back to you if she wanted, but did she?"

Isis looked like she was about to die of fury when the little silver-haired boy from yesterday suddenly appeared beside her (where he came from, I have no idea) and piped up, "Hey, are we going to have another death match today? I really don't think Lord Death would approve of us destroying his school."

"Why would I want to destroy the school?" I asked innocently, although I was slightly appalled by this idea even considering Soul's short attention span. "The symmetry is absolutely perfect!" I noticed Soul shoot Isis a sideways glance, but I opted to ignore this.

"Come on, guys," Liz called from somewhere up ahead of us. "We'll be late if we don't get going."

"Yeah, we were three hours late yesterday!" Patty shouted gleefully. "And we didn't even go to class at all!"

"Very helpful," I growled under my breath, but called back, "Okay, we'll be right there."

I was starting to wonder what happened to Dr. Stein. About a half hour ago, Sid came in with a call from Lord Death and Stein had stepped outside to have a word with him through a mirror.

"Ooh, he's in tro-o-o-ouble!" Patty squealed, and then she broke out into laughter. Next to her on the other side, Liz groaned in exasperation. Black Star and Tsubaki were arguing about something, Tsubaki looking as though she were trying to end the argument and Black Star seeming to be doing whatever he could to keep it going. Isis and Natalie were carrying on a completely unnecessary debate about the use of shoeboxes. Liz, who sat diagonally behind Natalie, would poke her every five minutes with the same question:

"Do you know when Stein is getting back?"

"I have no idea," Natalie would respond, and then she'd go back to her debate with Isis while Liz would go back to eyeing Patty with the occasional groan. I, on the other hand, was assessing the symmetry of the classroom. Other than the students, of course, I couldn't find anything asymmetrical about the classroom- simply _perfect_. Completely balanced. THIS is my father's school's pride and joy!

"Isis, Natalie," Stein's voice boomed. Snapping back to the present, I realized I'd been so focused on the symmetry that I'd neglected to notice the door open and my classmates' relieved comments when Stein reentered the room.

"Yes, Professor Stein?" Natalie jumped out of her seat immediately, and I stifled a chuckle. The girl had serious ants in her pants. I guess technically I would too if not for my OCD, though.

"You two come with me," he ordered, and I noticed his voice was very serious- like, not-messing-around serious. Jeez, he only gets like that when something's really wrong.

"Everything okay, Frankenstein?" Isis queried; when did she start using that nickname? The way her face displayed a satisfied smirk told me that she was proud of it.

"We're going to join Maka and Soul on their mission," Stein replied, and I could tell he was avoiding Isis's original question. "It... took a bit of a turn." Maka and Soul's mission? Let's see... this morning when I passed by the mission board I took a moment to rearrange the posts to be as symmetrical as possible (but it was hard when each one had something different written on it). Had I seen a post for Maka and Soul? I was pretty sure I did... and it had to do with extracurricular lessons... but what exactly was it? I couldn't put my finger on it...

"They went to Italy, right?" Patty's voice rang out.

_That's it!_ BOOM! It was the Italy mission! But... weren't they just collecting Kishin eggs?

"What happened?" I couldn't stop the words from escaping my mouth. Stein was making me nervous with his strangely serious tone; and what had he meant by, "it took a bit of a turn"? A turn for the worse? And why did he want Isis and Natalie to come with him?

Stein, who was about to head back out the door, turned his head slightly. "It's nothing for you to worry about, Kid," he replied dismissively, which only peaked my curiosity.

"We'll be right there," Isis said, and she headed down the steps after Stein. But as Natalie passed in front of me, however, I grabbed her wrist. She turned, surprised, and Liz shot me a questioning glance which I chose to ignore.

"Tell me what's going on," I insisted, barely believing my own words. What business of mine were her affairs with Stein? Unfortunately, though, I couldn't stand to not know what was going on, especially with someone or something I felt strongly about- it was just who I was. And most of the time, that character trait of mine sort of morphed into "being nosy."

Natalie stared at me blankly for a few seconds before her expression shifted into an exasperated smirk. "Kid, there's no need to be so interested," she assured me, just as dismissively as Stein had been. "It really is nothing you need to worry about." I considered letting go of her wrist for a moment, but I couldn't do it. I was too bothered by this whole situation.

"I can't not worry," I explained finally, but that wasn't 100% accurate. In fact, there was a lot more I wanted to explain to her, but I decided against it. There wasn't enough time, and I couldn't convince her not to go with Stein- however much I wanted to.

"I can tell this will be dangerous," I continued, trying to keep the shakiness out of my voice. Holy shit, why was I so disturbed suddenly? "And even though I can tell by the strength of your soul wavelength that you're a strong opponent, I have a... bad feeling." For some reason, it was all I could do just to get the words out.

Natalie's expression shifted, and for a moment I saw that hidden emotion from earlier. From the look she was giving me, I almost believed she would agree not to go. But to my dismay, her face broke into a cheerful grin.

"That's ridiculous," she smiled. "I'll be fine. Really Kid, you don't need to worry about me. Now will you please let go of my wrist?" I took three more seconds to stare into her eyes before I let go of her, but it felt like a lifetime. Even though it was silly, I felt like I had to memorize her- every detail of her bright green eyes, wavy blonde hair, and pale face. Just in case that when she got back, she... she wasn't the same.

As I released her wrist, I sat back in my chair and gazed down at the top of my desk. I could only nod in reply.

"Come on, Natalie," Isis urged. "We're going now." Natalie paused for a moment, then called back,

"Coming!" I waited until I heard the door close to glance back up. The bad feeling was back- big-time.

Isis's POV

"I still can't believe you have no means of transportation other than running!" I growled, slowing down slightly as I started to get too far ahead of Stein.

"Hey... it's not my fault..." he huffed. Both of us were moving pretty fast, but he clearly wasn't much of a runner- and why the hell didn't he have a motorbike like Soul, or a skateboard like Kid?

"You can sense him, right?" Stein asked me suddenly. "He really is in the same location as Maka and Soul?"

"Yep," I confirmed grimly. "I'll bet you anything they're battling him right now."

"We have to get there soon," Natalie piped up from the dagger that hung from the leather sheath at my side. "There's no way to tell how long they'll last against him in a fight."

"Hey Isis," Stein called suddenly. "Tell me, how did Lord Death know the Demon Sword had returned in the first place?" I turned my head away momentarily and grinned.

"That was the reason he called you back to the academy in the first place, wasn't it?" I queried, even though I already knew the answer.

"Yep," Stein confirmed. "Now answer my question." I whipped my head around, revealing my sly smile.

"I sensed it, of course," I replied.

"What else did you expect?" Natalie's voice rung out, and through her matter-of-fact tone I recognized the way she sounded when she was proud of something. "Ice can sense souls better than anyone else alive and you know it. She could literally match wavelengths with anyone if she wanted to."

I snorted. "Maybe, but I'm VERY picky about my partners," I added quickly. "And Natalie, soul wavelengths are YOUR specialty. Even though I can match with anyone, we wouldn't be able to win a single fight unless the person in question caught my interest. That's just how my stubborn soul wavelength is."

"Is that so?" Stein inquired, his eyebrow twitching slightly. I almost groaned out loud, knowing full well his dissecting urge was returning.

"Soul wavelengths are an area I'm an expert in," Natalie agreed. "I have complete control over mine- even better control than Stein."

"Is that the reason you can transform into multiple weapons?" Stein asked. An amused snicker escaped from the knife at my side.

"I have some secrets I'd rather not reveal to you," Natalie replied. "True, you discovered a lot about me through those experiments, but there are some things you'll never know unless I want you to- and that will never happen. Besides, you haven't seen half of what I can do." My grin widened as Stein's mouth opened, then closed again without making a sound. We both knew that not many had seen Natalie's true power- and lived to tell about it. Only Stein, who had sort of stuck to her like glue ever since the academy took her in in hopes of learning more about her; and me. Natalie and I had a history- it made me smile every time I remembered it.

*start of flashback*

"Someone got through!"

"Who was it?"

"She overpowered our troops!"

"It was a 'she'?!"

"Find her! Immediately!"

My feet ached dreadfully, but I forged onward all the same. I'd had enough wondering: I HAD to know what kind of soul this one was- and why it was hidden at the very back of the DWMA, deep in the roped-off area. Of course, it seemed to have some sort of protection around it, which meant no one could sense it. No one except me; I could sense just about any soul in existence, no matter what kind of spell was cast on it.

Finally, I arrived at a huge set of double doors. I could sense the mysterious soul behind these doors- and even with the protection, I could REALLY sense it's power from this close. It wasn't just my brilliant soul-sensing ability- anyone would have been able to see the soul, but they would only see that of a normal human.

Taking a deep breath, I grabbed the door handles with both hands and gave them a hard yank- but the door didn't budge.

"Hello?"

*end of flashback*

No! I couldn't start having flashes at a time like this!

Ug...we were moving TOO SLOW.

"Okay, Stein," I growled finally. "If you really insist that you have no better means of transportation, I'm going on ahead."

"Wait, you're saying you do?" The scientist exclaimed in disbelief. "Why didn't you use it before now?"

"Moron," I shot back. "It only fits one person, and unless you can discover some hidden ability and transform into an ipod shuffle or something clip-on, and unless you find some way to shrink Spirit so he fits into my pocket, you won't be hitching a ride anytime soon."

"Why is that?" Stein queried doubtfully.

"Because," I grinned. "More than one person won't fit on my little baby girl." Stein's eyebrows raised a centimeter higher, and I laughed out loud. Carefully, I removed my left golden pegasus wing earring and held it at eye level in front of me, between my thumb and forefinger. Immediately, it glowed white, and a tendril of light shot out from the illuminated pieces of jewelry. The tendril swooped me off my feet and tossed me into the air, and when I came back down I landed on the back of a pegasus.

The creature was about twice the size of a normal horse, and it was just magnificent. It's mane was a beautiful shade of pale green and flowed behind it at the moment, but if it were standing still that mob of hair would trail 5 feet across the ground. The mane sparkled with a rainbow of colors, each one changing every moment from green, to blue, to red, and so on. The winged horse's tail was the exact same way, but at a standstill it would be hovering about an inch off the ground.

It's body and wings were pure white, illuminated slightly by a silvery glow. It's coat and feathers glittered like light reflecting off the ocean, which blended with it's overall glow in a way that made the creature look as though it came from heaven. It's eyes were a deep blue, and it's hooves glittered silvery-grey.

"Holy..." Stein trailed off, and I smirked at Natalie's satisfied cackle.

"What did you expect?" my partner questioned above the flapping of the animal's wings. "Now, come on Isis!"

"Right," I agreed, and kicked at the pegasus's side. "Forward, Aphrodite!" And, obeying my direct order, my pet pegasus sped off, leaving only a faint trail of sparkling light in her wake.

Maka's POV

This wasn't good. Turns out that this guy's black blood was a weapon- and a defense system. I was able to cut through his skin, but his blood hardened and Soul's blade stopped completely when I hit his blood vessels. None of our normal attacks were working, and I wasn't even sure Witch Hunter would help. If only I could shoot my soul wavelength directly at him like Black Star could, I might be able to do some internal damage... otherwise, I had no idea what to do.

"It's not like the ones before," the pink-haired boy before me murmured suddenly. "They were _boys_. She's a _girl_- I'm no good with girls. What am I supposed to do with her?"

"What's with this guy?" Soul growled. "And who is he talking to, anyway?"

The boy paused for a few more seconds, then a wide grin spread across his face. "Oh, okay," he said, seeming to comprehend something. "You're saying I can kill the girl?"

_Uh-oh._

"I didn't realize that. But maybe I could play with her hair first; just for a little while." The irises in his eyes darted around the sclera from corner to corner as he spoke, giving me the chills. "The doors here open inward... they only open one way! Ragnorock... screaming resonance."

He held the sword up, and after a pause his weapon- Ragnorock, apparently- let loose an ear-piercing scream. The kid flew at me, and I barely raised my scythe in time to block his attack. He was momentarily knocked aside, but I saw him coming up again.

"He's coming, Maka!" Soul exclaimed. "Guard now!" Sure enough, he thrust Ragnorock upward through the black smoke- straight at me. I was fast to raise Soul to protect myself, but as the sword and the scythe collided and scraped against each other, Ragnorock screamed again, and my partner grunted in pain. Blood leaked from my weapon, and I saw- through the blade of the scythe- that Soul had been cut badly.

"STOP IT!" I shrieked, kicking the pink-haired brat away from me. He yelped in pain, but I ignored him.

"Are you alright, Soul?" I demanded. "Talk to me!"

"You don't need to worry about that right now!" Soul growled back determinedly. "I am your weapon partner, Maka. That means I'm always prepared to die for my meister."

The sword let out another unappealing wail, but I glared back defiantly. What was I going to do now? That screaming caused vibrations along his blade, and his blood hardened so quickly. I can't do any damage to him at all- I can't even guard!

The boy came at me again, and I used a few fancy swerves to avoid his attacks, but it wasn't enough.

_I screwed up! _

He stabbed at me again and again, but each time I moved slightly to the side and managed to avoid him. "What's the matter, Maka?" Soul demanded urgently. "Quit dodging and start fighting back!" The screaming came again. "MAKA!"

_But if I do attack..._ My mind replayed the previous time I tried to guard while he used screaming resonance. _Then Soul..._ He kept coming. _I can't use Soul to block his sword. The only thing I can do now is run away._

A crazy-sounding chuckle escaped the boy's lips, and he slashed his sword at my feet, almost knocking me off balance. I slammed into the doors I had come in from, and started to panic. "We're getting out of here!" I yelled, banging my body against the doors persistently. "Open up!"

The kid held up Ragnorock. "That's not going to work, you know," he said, and his sword began screaming again. "You should start paying attention to the things other people say."

"Oh no," I moaned out loud.

"The doors only open one way," he explained again. "They open inward." I gasped.

"MAKA!" Soul's voice shouted. "GUARD NOW!"

"But Soul, if I guard you'll DIE!" I yelled, just before the sword came crashing down. But instead of striking me, it hit...

"You should know by now, Maka," Isis said calmly. "If I'm not invited to a party, I'll come anyway."


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N: Sorry I took so long to update! I know, I know, it's Christmas break so there's no real excuse other than the fact that I usually like making really long chapters... **

**I'll try not to slack off any more! But I hope the exciting events of the story make up for my procrastinating habits :)**

Chapter 3: Natalie's POV

Thank god... looks like we'd gotten here just in time to save Maka's life. As Isis turned around, she grinned in satisfaction as Maka's mouth dropped open. "Isis, thank god you're here!" Maka exclaimed in relief. "And Natalie!"

"Glad to know you're not dead," my best friend replied with a playful smirk.

"You can attack directly with your soul wavelength, right?" I heard Maka demand, but I was more focused on the pink-haired brat, who was flying in for another attack.

"Not very well," Isis admitted. "But I can, to some extent. Natalie's much better."

"Guys!" I exclaimed. "He's coming!" My partner turned her attention back to Maka's opponent just in time to dodge a swift slice from his blade. He swung at us again, but this time Isis whipped me out and expertly deflected his blow despite the fact that it was a dagger against a sword. The boy thrust his sword forward again- persistent little bugger- and our blades clashed. But he wasn't backing down so easily.

"Watch out!" Maka cried suddenly. "His screaming resonance will hurt Natalie!"

"What?" Isis called back, but her voice was lost as the red-liped mouth on the flat of the other blade suddenly opened, and an ear-piercing scream wailed throughout the room. As I scraped against the other weapon, I suddenly felt as though it were tearing right through my skin, or my blade, since I was in weapon form. The feeling was absolutely horrid, and the pain was unbearable. I shrieked in pain, mentally begging Isis to yank me away from this nightmare. The screaming resonance was like a twisted Soul Resonance in which the wavelength sent into me was cutting me open.

"Natalie!" Isis shouted, and, to my relief, pulled me back, immediately rebutting his attack by shooting her soul wavelength directly into his stomach. He screeched loudly and stumbled backwards. Isis raised me and aimed to run me straight through his heart, but Maka shouted,

"No! It won't work!" But her hand was already thrusting forward, about to tear right through him. I heard the satisfying rip of skin, and then... I suddenly stopped, having hit something hard. Puzzled, Isis tried to force me in further.

"Ack," I grunted in warning. "Don't try it- something's up."

"Get away from him!" Soul yelled from somewhere behind us. "His blood is black, and for some reason he can harden it and it becomes impenetrable."

"Damn," Isis growled, pulling me back. Sure enough, there was a strange, black substance dripping from the tip of my blade. How were we supposed to fight this guy? Was Isis's soul wavelength the only way she could beat him? Oh, but wait, she's not an expert with it, and up against the demon sword... it probably wouldn't be enough. But even though I was a weapon, I was much better at attacking with and controlling my soul wavelength than anyone at the DWMA. Should I come out of weapon form?

_Crona..._ Holy- where did that come from? I could sense a voice, but I couldn't pinpoint where it was coming from. I could tell it wasn't directed at me, because it said someone else's- I'm guessing the demon sword meister's- name. Still, why did I get the feeling it was... _inside_ my head?

_Now there is another opponent,_ it continued. _And she wields Natalie Reinhold. You have to fight harder. _Okay, what? What did I have to do with this?

"But she's another girl," Crona suddenly moaned out loud. "And she's attacking me with her soul wavelength. What should I do now? I don't know how to deal with this!"

_She may be able to get around the issue of your black blood,_ the voice hissed again, _but she isn't an expert with her soul wavelength. You are about to become a true Kishin- you must kill her!_

"Cro-o-o-o-o-ona!" Suddenly, a strange, black... _thing _emerged out of the pink-haired meister's back and began pounding him with punches. "Quit standing around! Fight back!"

"Ow!" The boy wined. "That hurts! Stop it!, Ragnorock!" Isis took a ready stance as the creature morphed back into a sword, and the boy flew at us again.  
After a few more minutes of this, it was clear that Isis's soul wavelength wouldn't be enough to defeat this guy. Hers simply wasn't strong enough to do the amount of damage that we needed, and that damn sword of his kept healing his internal wounds. "Isis, Natalie, hang in there!" a voice shouted from behind us, and out of the corner of my eye I could see Soul jumping up and down frantically, his hands cupping his mouth as he yelled.

"It's not working well enough!" Isis growled as she dodge attack after attack.

"Maybe Natalie should-" Maka started to say, but she cut herself off with a shriek as Crona landed a direct hit and knocked me out of Isis's grasp. I went sailing across the room, transforming back into a person just as I slammed against the opposite wall. The impact didn't even faze me, and I leaped to my feet immediately and went charging towards my partner, who was backed against the door right next to Maka and Soul. I knew I wouldn't make it in time, but I shouted Isis's name anyway.

Suddenly, my legs began to slow down. I knew I was running, and nothing felt different- I still felt like I was pouring everything I had into my speed. Ahead of me, Isis's mouth was open, but it wasn't closing. No... it was, but at an abnormally slow pace. And everyone was only slightly shifting from the position they had been a minute ago.

Oh... now I remembered. It was something Stein had done while he'd been experimenting on me back before I could officially become a student of the academy. Back when I lived in a room near his mini-lab concealed at the back of the DWMA, in an area that not many people were allowed to go. Man, Isis sure got in trouble when she first met me, but... it was worth it.

*start of flashback, Isis's POV*

I couldn't contain my curiosity any longer. Even though I was far from an expert at attacking directly with my soul wavelength, I didn't have many options left- I didn't have a partner yet, and I had zero weapon blood, so that ruled out using a weapon to smash the door to pieces. Summoning a big blast of my soul wavelength, I aimed it to go straight through the tiny lock. If all went as planned it would shoot straight into the tiny opening, causing the lock to explode. But it was so tiny- I didn't even know if I had good enough control over my soul wavelength.

But it didn't matter, because the lock must have had some sort of magic barrier around it; my soul wavelength didn't even make it inside before it hit an invisible shield and bounced back in one sudden movement. However, when it hit the shield it DID make a loud zapping noise, and I cringed as it echoed throughout the tunnels. I heard the shouting get louder, and I thought I caught Stein's voice yelling,

"That was the alarm on the barrier! She's reached Natalie's room!" Who? I didn't have a minute to think it over, because suddenly I heard a click, and the door slid open just a crack. Alarmed, I took a step back, not believing my good luck. I inched closer to take a peek through the narrow slit between the two doors, but as soon as I got close enough, a hand reached out and yanked me through the door. I was so surprised that I didn't even resist, but as soon as I saw the inside of the room I forgot to wonder who had just pulled me in. My mouth literally dropped open in wonder; the place looked like a one-room palace, or a suite belonging to a princess. It had golden fleur-de-lis wallpaper and pink plush carpeting. Against the opposite wall was an enormous, deep violet-colored bed with gold trim that looked bigger than king-sized with a million beautiful pillows and quilts laid over it in an elegant fashion. Against the foot of the bed sat a velvet, golden couch, and on the right side of the room was a huge stand with an enormous, flat-screen T.V. There were a bunch of other assorted pieces of furniture, such as a few armchairs and a writing desk, and the place was very tidy altogether. But one thing caught my eye: a purple acoustic guitar with white lightning patterns leaning against one of the armchairs.

"How much longer are going to stand there gaping, do you think?" a voice queried. "Do you have an estimate?" I whirled around, and standing in front of me was... a girl. She looked to be maybe a year or two younger than me, and she had wavy, golden hair that was slightly layered, and her eyes were a dark, piercing turquoise with a grey tint. She was quite pale, and it made me wonder if she'd ever left this room.

"Um..." I searched for something to say. Why had I come here again? "I, er, sensed a powerful soul back here and came to investigate. I wasn't expecting you to-" I stopped myself. I was about to say _to be here as well_, but I could immediately tell that she WAS the soul I'd sensed. But... how? She was just a girl not much younger than me!

The girl's eyes widened. "You... you could sense my soul?" she gasped. "But no one's ever..." she trailed off, like she was lost in thought. "Anyway," she continued after a moment. "You shouldn't have come. You'll get into trouble."

"Who cares?" I retorted with a huff. "I'm a natural troublemaker. And besides, who hasn't broken a few rules in their life?" She chuckled, and for the first time I saw her smile. Her whole face seemed to light up, even her tinted eyes. She really was beautiful when she was happy.

"Here, let's sit down," she suggested, gesturing to the sofa. I was about to refuse, but it looked so comfortable... so I just nodded gratefully and seated myself onto the comfy piece of furniture. The blonde girl took a seat next to me, and for a few seconds we just sat there awkwardly. "Are you a student at the academy?" she asked finally, just as I was about to ask about the acoustic guitar.

"Yep," I replied. "Just got enrolled last year. I've never seen you there, though."

"I'm too young to enroll," she explained with a shrug. "I've lived here since I was seven, though. I'm going to start school at the DWMA after my next birthday."

"That means I'm two years older than you," I observed with a prideful grin. Suddenly, a horrible thought occurred to me. "Wait... have you ever been OUT of this room since you started living here?" She burst out laughing (more like giggling, actually), and I raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Of course I have," she replied. "I go stay at my friend's house every weekend for a change of pace, and I'm home schooled here by the head of the academy- although the teacher switches off. When it's Lord Death, he always gives me lessons in his room."

"Lord Death gives you private lessons?" I repeated, astounded. "He has TIME for that kind of thing?"

"Apparently," she said with a shrug, and I suddenly wondered if it had to do with the powerful aura her soul was giving off. I doubted anyone but me could sense it, but Lord Death must know something about it- come to think of it, how'd he even come across this kid, anyway? Who WAS she?

Suddenly, the same zapping noise I'd heard when I'd tried to shoot my soul wavelength into the door's lock sounded from outside- but this time, it was more like a computer shutting down than a crackle. "Oh no!" The girl exclaimed with a small moan. "They've undone the barrier! Stein and the others will be in here in-"  
She didn't have a chance to finish her sentence. The door burst open, and a bunch of Lord Death's agents came pouring inside, two of them being Stein and Spirit.

"Isis!" Spirit exclaimed. "What do you THINK you're doing?"

"And why did you let her in your room, Natalie?" Stein sputtered. I was about to speak up in Natalie's defense, but before I could get a word out she exclaimed,

"I'm sorry Professor, but she's the first girl I've spoken to since the night my siblings were killed by my father! I wanted to know why she came, and we... we talked. You and Lord Death have treated me like a daughter ever since you took me in. Don't you want me to make some normal friends?" Holy crap. The night since her sib... what had happened to this girl?

Stein was silent for a few moments- he just stared at Natalie, dumbfounded. Finally, he nodded. "I suppose we can spare the punishments this one time," he sighed. "But I don't want anything like this happening again, or we'll have to lock this place from the inside, too. You're almost old enough to attend the academy for real, Natalie, and there'll be plenty of time for socializing then." Spirit then laid a hand on my back and steered me towards the door. I overheard Stein murmur something to Natalie on the way out, but I couldn't make out what he said. He followed us out, and all the other academy people filtered out of the room and began making their way out of the roped-off section.

But Stein suddenly pulled me aside and looked me straight in the eyes, and I braced myself for the worst. The last thing I was expecting were the words that came out of his mouth in that moment.

"...Thank you."

*end of flashback, Natalie's POV*

Alright, that flashback was COMPLETELY beside the point. What I was going to say- before I got sidetracked, that is- is that the "friend's house" I went to every weekend was Stein's laboratory. Definitely a change of pace, but probably not what Isis was thinking at the time. Anyway, Stein experimented on me for the longest time, and using the magic already inside me combined with his own tricks, he was able to give me a few new abilities- including slowing down time. It was a scientific thing that I didn't really understand, but it has something to do with how fast the brain absorbs every frame of still image that altogether form- oh, never mind. Ask Stein if you want the full story on how he did it. But basically, I saw time in slow-motion, even though it wasn't really moving like that. No one else knew the difference- since it was only MY brain Stein fiddled with, thank you very much Doctor- and nothing felt different to my body. It was only my MIND that was affected.

This was what was happening to me right now. It was infuriating, because I knew my friend was in danger and I wanted to get there FAST. I saw Crona slowly lifting the blade above his head, and Isis bringing her arms up in front of her upper body to shield herself with equally slow speed. I HAD to get there in time! I knew her soul wavelength wouldn't save her this time, but my meister blood from my father's side would definitely do the trick against the demon sword. Still, it wouldn't do any good if she died before I reached her!

I wasn't moving fast enough. Even in slow-motion, I could see that clearly. _No!_ I thought frantically. _Isis, hang on! I won't let- oh? What is he... _

_SOUL!_

Maka's POV

I saw it all. I saw Crona's blade coming down on Isis, about to rip right through her body. I saw Soul leap from my side to protect the girl who just saved our sorry lives. And I saw the demon sword slice my partner open right through the middle of his torso. But I just... sat there... I just sat there like an idiot the whole time my friends were in danger.

_I screwed up._

Soul fell to the ground, and Natalie (who had stopped running halfway to the demon sword), Isis and I stared at him in stunned silence. "Soul..." Isis choked, her eyes superglued to him like her whole life had just evaporated right in front of her. I was so shocked that I forgot all about being irritated. Finally, I let loose. "SO-O-O-O-O-OUL!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, all the oxygen I'd been holding in coming out in one enormous blast.

There was a pause, and then Crona murmured, "I think I can deal with that." But I wasn't listening. I lurched forward in an attempt to grab Soul, but Isis got there first. She knelt to the ground and gently slid her arms around my partner and lifted him into her lap. I leaned over him, still too stunned to speak.

"Come on, Soul" Isis whispered. "Wake up."

"Soul, please," I begged, trying to move closer. When I brushed against Isis, I noticed she was shaking even more than I was. I took a brief glance up at her, and I saw a few crystal clear teardrops glistening at the bottom of her eyes.

"You dumbass.." he growled. "Hurry... get out of here..."

"Okay," Crona muttered solemnly. He raised his sword, but was suddenly sent flying across the room by a blast of purply-white energy, which after a moment I saw was Natalie's soul wavelength.

"You won't be putting my friends' lives in danger any more, you little brat," the dagger hissed, her turquoise-grey eyes locked onto the demon sword and his meister. "It's time for me to kill you."

"No," Crona moaned in a small, distressed voice. "You can't kill me, my blood is bla-"

"You think I give a shit?" Natalie snapped back, cutting him off. "I can easily get around your little trick. I WILL kill you, Crona. And your weapon." Before he had a chance to react, Natalie disappeared in a blur and seemed to materialize right next to the pink-haired meister. In one swift moment, she'd pounded him with yet another blast of her soul wavelength. This one slammed him hard against the wall they were standing right next to, and he grunted in pain and spit out a gob of black blood.

"Stop it!" Crona exclaimed, backing away from Natalie, who was continuing to advance on him.

"Crona, you IDOT!" Ragnorock shouted angrily at his meister. "If you let her hit you with that attack one more time, you won't get any meals tomorrow!"

"No," Crona moaned quickly as he continued to walk backwards, Natalie matching her pace with his. "I can't skip meals! I don't know how to deal with being any skinnier than I already am!"

"You've got a lot more than that to worry about right now," Isis's partner hissed, stopping as she backed Crona up against the door right next to the rest of us, who were seated on the ground (well, Soul was still laying in Isis's lap).

Ragnorock growled in frustration. "You stupid girl!" he sputtered furiously.

"Stupid?" Natalie repeated, her voice almost a whisper. "I don't think so." But just as she was raising her hand for another attack- and just as Crona was raising Ragnorock in front of him protectively- a black object suddenly burst through the door and went straight through the pink-haired meister, who yelped in surprise. It nearly got Natalie too, but she saw it coming and jumped back before it could touch her.

"What's happening?" Crona panicked. "How did that get there?!" Before he could say another word, a fierce kick burst through the door, breaking it into pieces and sending the boy flying all the way to the opposite wall, yelping in surprise.

"Professor Stein!" I gasped, just as Natalie exclaimed,

"Finally! Took you long enough, Frankenstein." She made her way over to us and Stein hugged her tightly.

"You okay, sweetheart?" he asked quietly, but I tuned them out after that. I was more focused on... him. The black weapon behind me.

"If he's here," I mused to myself, "than that blade must be..." I trailed off as it glowed white and morphed back into the form of the red-haired man that was my father.

He stood still as a statue, his back to me. "Your papa has arrived," he declared finally, just as Stein and Natalie knelt beside Isis, who was cradling Soul in her lap, her eyes not leaving his limp form for a millisecond.

"Professor Stein, is Soul all right?" I demanded desperately.

"The wound is very serious," he replied grimly. "If we don't get him treatment soon, he might not make it." Suddenly, Isis jerked her head up and glared at Stein with so much anger that I wondered if her head would explode on the spot.

"You're late!" she shouted. "I TOLD you we were moving to slow! If Natalie and I hadn't gone on ahead, we'd come here only to discover Maka and Soul had already been killed!" Stein took a few steps back, and I didn't blame him; I'd never seen Isis this mad before. But surprisingly, I was more cross with her than intimidated. Why was she getting so pissed off over MY partner?

"Isis, I'm sorry, but-" Stein began hesitantly.

"No, you're not!" she snarled, before he could finish. "If you were sorry, you wouldn't have let this happen in the first place! This is YOUR fault, Frankenstein!"

"Let it go, Isis," I growled, growing more and more agitated by her defensiveness. "It's not like yelling will fix anything."

"It sure as hell better fix him the next time we-" Isis tried to say, but Natalie cut her off.

"Maka's right, Ice," she said kindly, patting her on the shoulder. "I'm worried for Soul too, but right now our main focus is finishing this battle as soon as possible so we can get him back to the academy. Chewing out Stein won't help us beat the demon sword."

"My attacks won't even work on him anymore," the blonde meister pointed out in an annoyed grumble, but she seemed to have cooled off. Of course- only Natalie knows how to defuse the Isis bomb.

"I know," Stein said. "Which is why Spirit and I are going to finish this."

"Let me help you," Natalie spoke up suddenly. "You may be able to use your soul wavelength directly, but I'm even better- I could do the most damage." Stein turned to face her, and his expression made the answer clear.

"You may be right, Natalie, and it may make the job quicker, but as your teacher and the one who assigned you this mission in the first place- even if Lord Death did make the final decision- I have to put my foot down for this one. You saw what happened to Soul, and I can't risk that happening to you as well."

"There's a better chance it'll happen to you," I caught Isis mumble angrily, but Professor Stein either didn't hear her comment or chose to ignore it.

"Do you understand where I'm coming from?" he asked pleadingly. "Right now, I'm responsible if anything happens to you kids- well, Spirit and I are. We can't take the chance." Silence.

"You know as well as I do that I would win this fight," Natalie pointed out after another few seconds. "But I understand."

"Thank you," Stein sighed, and he visibly relaxed. It occurred to me that Stein wasn't just worried about the fact that we were his responsibility- he really cared about Natalie.

"I gotta say, though," Spirit piped u suddenly. "It was an easier fight than I expected." As we watched Crona struggle to his feet, the demon sword emerged from his back in the form of that weird black creature.

"I hardened the blood around your wounds to stop the bleeding," Ragnorock informed him. "Do I get a 'thank you'?"

"Yeah, thank you," his meister mumbled.

"Thank you very much," Ragnorock shot back. When Crona didn't respond, his weapon grabbed him and started harassing him again. "YOU GONNA MAKE ME HURT YOU?!"

As the pink-haired boy struggled to mutter out his 'thank you very much,' I asked Stein, "Professor, who are those two? Or _what_ are they? I've never seen anything like this."

But it was Isis that answered my question. "That," she explained, "is the reason the academy was created." I glanced back at her serious expression, temporarily forgetting my irritation with her.

"The reason the academy was created?" I echoed.

"Does that mean he's a Kishin?" Natalie inquired, her eyes wide.

"Technically, not yet," Stein replied. "But he's only one step away from it." He shifted his gaze until his eyes landed on Isis. "Ice was the one who sensed his return in the first place," he continued. "It's true her ability to sense souls is superior to anyone's at the academy, even yours, Maka." This only served as fuel for my agitation, but I ignored this comment.

"That was the reason Stein was called back to the academy in the first place," Isis concluded. "To track down the demon sword and stop him from turning into a Kishin."

"Alright then," Stein grinned, standing up. "Let's take care of this, shall we?"

"Yeah," Spirit agreed with a smile, transforming back into a scythe.


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thanks for reading up to this point, guys! I'm sorry the chapters have been so long, but I'll try to make them shorter from now on.**

**So again, I want to thank you all for putting up with me this whole time- it'll get more interesting soon, I promise! We've still got a LONG way to go!**

Chapter 4: Stein's POV

Spirit glowed white and transformed into a shiny black death scythe, which I caught in both hands, standing in a ready stance. Natalie backed up a few steps and stood next to Soul and the girls, who were seated on the ground, but I was distinctly aware of the fact that she neglected to sit down herself. I was briefly tempted to turn around and question this, but I decided against it- my fears of her rushing in to save me were probably all in my head, and besides, I needed to focus on the fight.

"Spirit, can you stand against the demon sword?" I inquired while Ragnorock continued to bully Crona.

"Of course I can," the death scythe replied confidently. "What do you think I am, some kind of rusty old dagger?" The blade caught the light for a moment, and after it vanished I could see Spirit's face like a reflection on the dark metal. "Been a long time, hasn't it? Since we teamed up like this?"

I couldn't help laughing at that comment. "We're not as young as we used to be, that's for sure," I snickered.

"Speak for yourself," my weapon muttered in annoyance. "I haven't aged a bit."

"Be careful Stein," Isis ordered, glancing around nervously. "I can sense some random human souls outside, but one of them is..."

"WOULD YOU HURRY UP AND ATTACK ALREADY YOU IDIOT?!" I heard Ragnorock shout, and before I knew it the kid was charging at me.

"But I've never seen a man with a screw sticking out of his head before!" he complained as he dashed forward. "I don't know how I'm supposed to deal with a guy like that!" Our blades clashed multiple times, and on the third time the sword began to use his screaming resonance- but Isis and Natalie had done their research, and Natalie had filled me in. I was ready for this.

I twisted my blade and lifted him over my head, then brought him down hard on the ground, followed by a big blast of my soul wavelength. But I didn't have time to repeat the attack before I was stopped by a long needle of hardened black blood that came directly out of the kid's body. I glanced around to see the droplets of blood from the wound we gave him hovering in the air. I saw them sprout tiny needles, and leaped back a safe distance before they could skewer me.

"He's using every drop of his blood as a weapon," Spirit observed. "But how is that even possible?!"

"When souls are over-hunted, a demon sword is created," I explained to him. "We have to stop him here and now, or else he will definitely become a kishin. What's more, the balance of power between these two is uneven." I tried to take a look at his soul, but it wasn't Crona's soul that I could see clearly- it was Ragnorock's.

"The weapon's soul is clearly dominant," I continued. "It rules over the meister's more introverted soul, confining it." The demon sword's soul was very big, big enough to surround his partner completely. "For the moment, the meister still has some strength left to fight back, but if he should be completely swallowed up things could get ugly." I paused. "There's something else... I see a snake coiled around him. What's it doing there?"

After a few more seconds of watching, I decided to attack again. I dashed forward, guarding against my opponent's attacks using Spirit only as a shield. Then, as soon as I saw an opening, I got him again with a direct hit from my soul wavelength, which sent him flying out the door. I sprinted after him, but I barely avoided being punctured to death from another round of those needles.

"It's time to die, screw-head!" I grunted in pain as one of the needles pierced my side, and before I could collect myself another knocked my glasses off my head. Blood trickled down my face, but I barely noticed. It was getting to me... the curiosity... the urge...

"I think I'd like to dissect you now!" I declared, when more needles suddenly came at me. I realized I hadn't recovered quickly enough after the first attacks, and I was having a hard time dodging these. Damn! I just needed a few seconds to collect myself... but they just kept coming. No, they were getting bigger! As I struggled to dodge, I noticed some of them were blending together to form one huge drop. Oh no... if it got me...

Suddenly, the needles stopped coming. On instinct, I jumped back, and though my wounds stung I was able to ignore them. But wait... hadn't I been about to get killed? I looked back, and for the first time I noticed what had just saved my life. Or- correction- _who_.

"Idiot," Natalie growled, doubling over from the large needle that just pierced her stomach. As I watched in horror it melted back into black blood, which mixed with her own until the crimson red color had completely vanished. "I told you to let me help..." I watched in horror as she collapsed on the ground. How had I let this happen? I was trying to protect her- that's why I told her to sit this one out. But I let my guard down... and this kid... him and his weapon...

"Nat-" I started to say, but Maka shouted,

"Professor! Look out!" I dodged another round of needles, then began running in the opposite direction, trying to lead the demon sword away from Natalie's limp form.

"Isis, Maka, take care of Natalie!" I shouted as I sprinted away. My plan worked- I hadn't gone far, but my opponent seemed to be more focused on me than the girl he just skewered.

The demon sword shouted something at me, but I paid no attention. He sent another round of needles in my direction, but I used a fancy technique to create a translucent, snowman-shaped figure around me to block them. I was NOT taking any more shit from this brat. He'd just brutally injured and possibly killed the closest thing I had to a daughter.

I jumped in the air, and as the meister and weapon searched for me, I came crashing down practically on top of their heads. "DOUBLE-PALM SOUL FORCE!" I yelled, extending both hands toward him and blasting him with my soul wavelength.

"More needles?" I head Maka call as he went tumbling away. I noticed a few drops of black blood splatter the ground, but they remained liquid.

"No," I replied. "It's over now." I turned to look at the others. Isis was tiptoeing toward Natalie, Soul in her arms and a horrified expression washing over her face. Maka was already kneeling beside her.

"You..." Isis growled suddenly. She set Soul down gently and strode up to me. I stared at her expectantly, but she refused to return the glance. "...You call yourself the greatest meister at the academy? You think you're like a father to Natalie?"

Finally, she raised her head and looked me squarely in the eyes. "Bullshit. It's because of you that she's almost dead."

Natalie's POV

A hoarse, strangled cough pushed it's way through my lips, followed by three and then five more. The pain in my abdomen was excruciating, almost enough to make me want to die on the spot. I was vaguely aware of someone dragging me into their lap, and next thing I knew I was being turned over by a pair of gloved hands.

"Oh god, Natalie, this looks fatal," Maka's voice gasped, her face hovering directly above me. After a few seconds, Isis's face joined it, followed by Stein's.

"Nat, sweetie, how do you feel?" Stein asked gently, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"Like shit..." I murmured, and he chuckled softly, though I could see tears forming in the corners of his eyes.

"Talking requires effort!" Isis scolded me gently. "Stop talking and focus on breathing, we'll call for help."

"The demon sword..." I managed to choke out. "Did he turn-" I cut myself off with a cough.

"What did I just say?!" Isis growled, more forcefully this time. "Shut the fuck up, Nat. But don't worry about that thing, it didn't turn into a Kishin. Stein defeated it and it's good-for-nothing meister." I sighed with relief, but obeyed my partner and didn't say anything more. I noticed Isis give Stein a dirty look, and it looked like she was going to say something before a scream erupted from about ten feet away. I struggled to sit up but Maka pushed me back down, though she and the others watched intently.

"What's happening to him?" Spirit asked, still in scythe form.

"He's going through Soul Rejection," Stein replied grimly.

"Their soul wavelengths were united, but they're falling apart now," Isis observed.

_I guess I found his limit... _It was that voice again.

"Guys," Isis suddenly snapped, her expression dead serious. "I KNOW something's not right. I can sense a nearby soul that's using Soul Protect."

_Oh well, Soul Protect... release._

"Soul Protect?" Stein repeated. "But that spell is-" Maka, Isis, Stein and I gasped. I suddenly felt a new soul- a _very_ strong one. I looked up toward the source of the soul wavelength, and saw it. An enormous purple soul with arrow designs protruding out of it, and in the center was a dark cloaked figure.

"That's what you meant, right Isis?" Maka asked my partner.

"Yup," she replied with a nod. "I sensed it before now. It's a witch."

We all gazed up at her, and she looked back with an unreadable expression. I couldn't tell if it was my imagination, or if her eyes were locked with mine.

"Crona is such a weakling," the witch finally said. "I'll have to punish him later." She began a strange chant which sounded familiar somehow, though I was pretty sure I'd never heard it before. "But before I go, I want to say a quick hello to miss Natalie Elizabeth Fie Reinhold." All eyes turned to me, but I just stared up at her in puzzlement.

"How... do you know my name?" I choked out, realizing I was trembling a little. She chuckled evilly, and her lips twisted upward in a smile.

"I've known you ever since you were a little girl, my dear, though we never met properly," she replied. "Your mother kept you from me. She was a very stubborn woman, always fighting with her sister. That's why she was kicked out, long before you were even born."

"What are you talking about?" Stein called up, laying an arm across my chest protectively.

The witch's smile vanished, and her eyes narrowed. "Stay out of this. It doesn't concern you."

"I don't understand anything you're saying!" I yelled, but coughed three times before continuing, "Did you know my mother?" She didn't reply right away; her eyes stayed locked on me, and it occurred to me that she was checking me up and down. She was interested in me. For what reason I had no idea, but I had pretty much pieced together that it had something to do with what she just told me- something that happened in the past.

"You could have discovered your powers so much sooner, Natalie... and if she'd let me, your father would still be alive..." She smiled again, but this one seemed kinder somehow. Less sneaky and devious- motherly, even. "But your uncle is."

My heart almost stopped.

"That's IT, you bitch!" Isis shouted suddenly. "Come down here so I can kill you! I'll tear the skin from your arms and legs! I'll rip out your eyeballs and make you eat them! I'll give you a taste of a soul wavelength worse than-"

"Oh, I would love to stay and play with you kids a little longer," she interrupted snidely, "but I'm afraid I can't. Perhaps we call all play another day." The snake tattoo suddenly peeled from her arm and came sailing downward, but instead of aiming for us it headed towards Crona. As we watched, it closed it's teeth around the pink-haired meister and carried him back up to the witch.

"Wait," I called as she began to leave. She stopped moving for a moment and smiled down at me.

"I'll be back, Natalie. Sooner than you think." And in one swift movement... she was gone.

Death the Kid's POV

The moment the bell rang, I sprinted out the door of Class Crescent Moon and ran as fast as I could down the hallway to my father's room. As I was approaching, I could hear Spirit's voice, and I slowed down. If Spirit was here then they must have all come back from the mission, and I could hear the seriousness in his and Dad's voices. Perhaps they were conversing about something they wouldn't tell me...

I quickly ducked behind a wall when I got to the end of the hallway, and from this position I could hear them both clearly. "...Sounds like they all had a pretty rough time," Lord Death was saying, and I had to cover my mouth to keep a gasp from escaping. "And how is she? How's Natalie?" My heart skipped a beat.

"Stein is operating on her now." My heart skipped three more beats. "She was hurt pretty badly, but I think she'll live." I let loose a long breath I hadn't even realized I was holding in. She wasn't going to die... but she was fatally injured...

"What about Soul?" Father persisted.

"Stein's going to do his operation next," the death scythe replied. "But he'll be all right. He wasn't hurt as bad as Natalie was."

"The demon sword has returned, and it's united with a meister," Dad mused. "Actually, embedded within him, from what you say. And behind it all is a powerful witch."

They continued to chat, but I barely heard them. I was clutching the side of the wall so hard my knuckles were turning white. I knew something was up... so it was the demon sword, huh? I remembered Dad telling me about it once. It devoured great numbers of souls, coming closer and closer to becoming a Kishin. It was extremely dangerous, of that I was certain.

The more I thought about it, the more my entire body trembled with anger. That damn scientist had forced Natalie and Isis to go with him to try to kill that thing because he wasn't strong enough to do it himself. And now, because of Stein, something awful had happened to Natalie...

I'd had enough. I whirled around and took off back down the hallway, but not before I heard Spirit call my name. Whatever; I didn't have time to deal with him right now. There was someone else who was more important.

I finally slowed my running just as I reached the nurse's office, panting heavily but still pressing on determinedly. Isis was standing outside, and her eyes widened when she saw me.

"Oh, hey Kid," she greeted, but there was no happiness in her voice. Her face displayed no emotion, and she was anything but smiling.

"Isis, I just heard about-" I cut myself off as the door suddenly opened and Stein emerged, giving us a sideways glance.

"Are you two waiting to see Natalie and Soul?" he asked. Both of are eyes widened, and we nodded vigorously.

"What happened to Natalie? Why did you make her go on such a dangerous mission?" I demanded, at the same time as Isis growled,

"What are you doing standing around here? Get it together and start your operation on Soul!"

"One at a time, guys," Stein said calmly, but he seemed to be avoiding eye contact with Isis. "I assume you're both here to see Natalie?"

"Stop chitchatting and hop to it, Frankenstein!" Isis snapped harshly, and I cringed a little while Professor Stein narrowed his eyes. "The important thing is that you get them the treatment they need. Visiting comes afterward."

Stein's expression softened. "Thank you for being so worried, Isis, and you're right, of course," he replied gently. "But Natalie got the worst of it, and she's resting now but I just operated on her and I can tell she'll be just fine. Why doesn't one of you go in and see her? I'm sure it would cheer her up." Isis and I exchanged glances, and after a few seconds I noticed her eyebrow twitch. Oh great... I wasn't familiar with Isis body language. What did twitching eyebrows mean?

"You go, Kid," she said, stepping back. "Your expression makes it clear that you want to." I felt my face flush with surprise and I stuttered a few untranslatable words. Was I really THAT obvious?

"I- I- I'm worried about her! She's a classmate!" I finally exclaimed, my face heating up even more. A sly smirk spread across Stein's face, and that didn't help my discomfort one bit.

"Go on, Kid," he said. "Nat's in the nurse's office now. I'll be operating on Soul in the back. I just need to grab a few things from my lab." He patted me on the head with that large hand of his and trudged on down the hall. I took one last glance at Isis, who gave me a slight nod, before entering the well-known, white-enveloped room. I grasped the pale blue curtain, but paused to take a deep breath. Whatever state she was in... I had to prepare myself for it... I couldn't be the weak one here. No, I had to pull myself together.

Heart pounding, I drew back the curtain... and immediately sighed with relief. The girl lying on the bed in front of me looked perfectly okay, not a scar on her pale skin or a tangle in her wavy blonde hair. A thick blanket laid across her torso, her arms resting on the blanket with a couple cords attacked to each. Her big, turquoise- grey eyes landed on me as her head shifted in my direction, and she smiled warmly.

"Hey, Kid," she greeted.

"Hi Natalie," I said gently, smiling back as I approached her. "Are you okay? What happened?"

Her eyes shifted away from me. "I went with Isis, Stein, and Spirit to help Soul and Maka on their mission, but... well, there was an accident. Both Soul and I were injured." She whispered the last sentence, still not meeting my gaze. I, however, couldn't take my eyes off her. I was still trying to process all that had happened- and why I was so affected by it.

"Kid?" She was looking at me again. Damn, why did this keep happening? What was wrong with me today?

"Sorry," I muttered, kneeling beside the bed. "I was just thinking." A long pause.

"I told you this wasn't a good idea," I said finally. "I had a bad feeling about this from the moment Stein called you and Isis out of the classroom." Natalie's eyes quickly shifted away, and I instantly regretted what I'd said.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "But if Stein had just let me help..." she trailed off, but I'd heard enough to understand the situation. I was already cross with Stein, but as soon as Natalie finished speaking I could feel the fury bubbling inside me, heating up and spreading out by the second.

"Oh, I've got a few things to say to him," I growled, clenching my hands into fists. "When I see him again, I'll give him a piece-"

"No, it wasn't his fault," she said quickly. "It was my decision to..." she choked on the words. "Um, ask Isis. I don't want to talk about it." A small, painful-sounding cough escaped her lips, and my anger at Stein slowly faded away, replaced by worry for Natalie.

"Listen Natalie," I said in a hushed voice, leaning forward slightly. "As soon as you're out of this bed and back on your feet, I'm throwing a party for you and Soul." An amused smile slowly creeps into her expression.

"You don't have to," she replies softly. "It's not like we'll take long to recover completely. Maybe a few weeks at most." My heart fluttered at that, but I tried not to let my relief show too much.

"But I still want to do it," I retorted, lowering my voice even more until it was a whisper. "If one thing's certain it's that with the demon sword returning, things will only get more dangerous. I want to celebrate you and Soul's recovery... if only to preserve some semblance of normality before this happens all over again." By the end of my explanation, my voice was barely audible. She'd been smirking before, but now her expression was serious. And slightly... passionate? Was that passion I could see in her eyes?

The door suddenly opened, and I whipped my head around as Stein made his way through the room to the back, where Soul supposedly was. His steady pace slowed for a few seconds, however, and his eyes lingered on Natalie and I. I think those were the longest three seconds of my life, and I'd never been more frustrated that I couldn't see Stein's expression behind his glasses. But finally- FINALLY- he reached the door to the operating room, which he went through, closing it behind him.

I turned back to Natalie, and was surprised at how close our faces were. Wait... it wasn't like she could move her head upward, so that meant I was the one leaning down too far.

Flustered, I yanked myself away from her, and I could feel my face turning deep red. What the hell was I doing? No wonder Stein had stared! Oh my gosh... I was SO out of it today.

"S-Sorry..." I mumbled quickly, averting my eyes in embarrassment.

"Hey... Kid?" I slowly shifted my gaze back to Natalie.

"Yes?" I prompted. She took a deep breath before continuing.

"Go ahead and throw the party. I think it'd be good for us. And thank you." She looked like she wanted to say more, but she only smiled. She'd taken the words out of my mouth.

"You're welcome..." That was all I could manage to say. Without another word, I got to my feet and walked out through the curtain, taking one last glance at Natalie before closing it again.

When I emerged into the hallway, Isis and Maka were both standing in front of the door. They looked up when they saw me, but only Isis stepped forward.

"How was she?" Natalie's partner asked anxiously.

"Great," I muttered. "Stein did a good job."

"The least he could do after his incompetence," she growled back, and without looking at her, I nodded. Our eyes met for a split second, and we came to a sort of silent agreement: Stein was to blame.

After wandering through the eerily empty school hallways for a few minutes, I finally leaned against the wall. The thought occurred to me that I should probably go back to Gallows Manor- Liz and Patty would be wondering where I was- but I needed to stop and catch my breath. What was getting me so worked up? I couldn't think straight back there- it's like the energy needed to watch my movement and talk at the same time was redirected toward something else. Some sort of emotion. But... what was it? I'd barely known Natalie for a few weeks. What was going on?

Sighing, I continued walking, deciding to head home to my twin pistols. But two things lingered in my mind that I couldn't shake from my thoughts: my strange feelings toward Natalie, and my anger at Stein for making her go on that mission in the first place.


End file.
